System Dynamics Society

Contents

System Dynamics Society is an international professional association dedicated to advancing system dynamics methods via research, practice, and education. The Society connects scholars, practitioners, and institutions to develop models and policies in contexts such as World Bank, United Nations, European Commission, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Delft University of Technology. It sponsors conferences, journals, and awards involving members from Stanford University, Harvard University, University of Cambridge, Tokyo Institute of Technology, and National University of Singapore.

History

The Society was established following early development of system dynamics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the diffusion of modeling methods by figures associated with Jay W. Forrester and institutions like MIT Sloan School of Management and RAND Corporation. Founding activities involved collaborations with Club of Rome, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, University of Bergen, and University of Michigan. Over subsequent decades the Society expanded through linkages with Society for Computer Simulation International, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, American Society for Engineering Education, European Federation for Systems, Cybernetics and Informatics, and Systems Dynamics Netherlands.

The Society aims to advance system dynamics methodology, promote rigorous model-based inquiry across domains represented by organizations such as World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations Environment Programme, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and International Monetary Fund. Objectives include fostering education with partners like Carnegie Mellon University, encouraging applied research associated with National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and supporting policy engagement involving US Department of Energy, UK Research and Innovation, and Australian Research Council.

Governance comprises an elected board and officers drawn from academic and professional institutions including University of Bergen, University of Oxford, University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, and Imperial College London. The Society operates committees on policy and conferences with liaisons to entities like IEEE Systems Council, American Control Council, International Society for the Systems Sciences, and regional groups such as System Dynamics Japan and System Dynamics UK. Financial oversight has engaged auditors and funders including Gates Foundation and national research councils.

Programming includes professional development, curricular initiatives, and capacity building with collaborators such as International Council on Systems Engineering, Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, World Resources Institute, Stockholm Environment Institute, and Rockefeller Foundation. The Society runs workshops and webinars featuring speakers from MIT Media Lab, London School of Economics, Yale School of Management, Peking University, and ETH Zurich. It advances methodological work on modeling approaches linked to Vensim, Stella (software), Powersim, and connections with toolmakers like MathWorks and IBM Research.

The Society convenes annual conferences attracting participants from United Nations Development Programme, European Commission DG Research, World Bank Group, Asian Development Bank, and Inter-American Development Bank. It publishes peer-reviewed proceedings and supports journals and edited volumes involving publishers such as Springer, Wiley, Elsevier, Cambridge University Press, and Oxford University Press. Contributors have affiliations with Harvard Kennedy School, Princeton University, Cornell University, University of Tokyo, and Seoul National University.

The Society recognizes contributions with awards honoring scholars, educators, and practitioners affiliated with institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, University of California, Berkeley, and Duke University. Awards highlight lifetime achievement, outstanding thesis work, and best papers appearing in venues associated with IEEE, INFORMS, and Association for Computing Machinery.

Membership comprises academics, consultants, students, and corporate members from organizations such as McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group, Accenture, Shell, and Siemens. Regional chapters and special interest groups maintain links with universities and institutes including Indian Institute of Technology, Tsinghua University, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, University of Cape Town, and Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.